Throughout the city, surprise outdoor dining appears in folds and corners where patios would not think to exist—if not for a little imagination.

Some spring up between buildings like urban gardens, while others find an underused space, put a fence around it, and suddenly it’s your best-kept secret. Tapas stop Pintxo took its narrow alleyway flanked by brick walls, a vein where rows of trash cans might otherwise hide, and strung a constellation of lights in between for an evening escape. Behind Saint John’s, a courtyard of shade trees conceals couples sharing chilled white wine and happy hour bites. (Don’t mind the little scenes of children’s toys strewn about. It’s all a dream anyway.) A little divier, but no less secret, The Two Bells’ patio in Belltown provides a quartet of tables and some fenced-off privacy to do with what you will. And while Poppy’s gated dining area might rest in one of Capitol Hill’s many busy stretches, the thali dishes and craft cocktails can be enjoyed with open-air seclusion hard to find on the north end of Broadway.

Essayist Elissa Washuta worked all summer in the bridge’s 99-year-old tower as its first writer-in-residence, named by the City of Seattle. We caught up with her on her last week perched above the Lake Washington Ship Canal.